BECA Team Visits Students Helping Honduras in El Progreso
BECA and Students Helping Honduras (SHH) have been in communication with one another for quite some time now, but it wasn't until Oct. 25th that the two organizations finally met face to face. A group of seven BECA team members left Cofradia early on a Saturday morning to make the trek to El Progreso where they were picked up by Cosmo Fujiyama, Co-Founder and Program Director of SHH. BECA Administrator Jessica Gorelick met Cosmo at the 2008 Project Honduras Conference in Copan Ruinas this September when they both sat on the same panel discussing University Partnerships. After their presentations, they agreed to meet up in the near future in order to learn more about each other's work.
Over some fresh pineapple and papaya, Cosmo and the BECA team spent the morning discussing their respective organizations and the similar challenges they both face. Then it was off to the Copprome Orphanage, where SHH and their robust network of college students have helped construct and outfit an educational facility for the 50+ children living there. BECA team members participated in that morning's activities, helping the kids write letters to Santa and doing some one-on-one reading with the younger children. Anne Brauer, BECA's Resource Teacher, noted that "it was surprising to see the same challenges in the orphanage that we see every day in our classrooms at San Jeronimo Bilingual School. Surmounting those challenges will always be an uphill battle, but thankfully the children are being afforded the opportunity to learn in a loving and encouraging environment."
Later in the afternoon, BECA team members drove to Siete de Abril, an impoverished community that SHH is working with to provide better living conditions for all who live there. In addition to providing specialized health-conscious stoves to families, SHH has undertaken the enormous task of building 48 new three-room houses for the residents. Because the land on which Siete de Abril sits is under legal dispute, SHH decided not to wait out the lengthy litigation and instead purchased a new plot of land just a few miles down the road.
Pulling up to that land-Villa Soleada, or Sunshine Village-all the BECA members were immediately impressed by the sheer scope of SHH's project. The first stage of building 24 homes is nearly complete, and the following stages call for the construction of further homes, a church, a school, a well, and communal gardens to grow different kinds of produce. SHH employee Josue Hernandez led the BECA team through the site, providing detailed information about the planned community.
The Hondurans who will be moving into Villa Soleada have not sat idle as SHH moves forward with its ambitious plans. In fact, the residents have provided all of the labor, which equals fifty percent of the overall cost of the project. It so happened that Villa Soleada was having a community meeting when BECA dropped by, so Cosmo kindly introduced the entire BECA team to the residents who gathered near the construction site. Each BECA member spoke briefly and the assembled residents gave a warm welcome.
All in all, the BECA team left El Progreso invigorated by the efforts of SHH. Allison Pitt, BECA's 4th grade teacher says, "It was eye-opening to see what can be accomplished by the simple dedication of a small group of talented people. I am inspired to carry that same spirit back to our community and school in Cofradia."
Cosmo promised that SHH would send a team to visit Cofradia in the coming weeks. From there the two organizations will sit down and discuss areas of collaboration and information exchange. The overlap in their missions, educational initiatives, and volunteer recruitment efforts should presage a prolonged and productive partnership.
To learn more about SHH, please visit www.studentshelpinghonduras.org.
